TIRUNELVELI
Demanding permanent closure of a paper mill allegedly polluting with its industrial effluents the Tamirabharani, the drinking water source for a large number of people in three southern districts, a group of activists submitted a petition to Collector Sandeep Nanduri during the weekly grievance redressal meeting held at the Collectorate here on Monday.
The petitioners, led by J. Sampath Chandrabalan, president of ‘Tamirabharani Pathukappu Iyakkam’, and Rev. Fr. Antony A. Cruz, said the paper mill at Pappakudi utilised a large quantity of water above the permitted level for manufacturing paper and other purposes and released several lakh litres of effluents into the river, which was meeting the drinking water needs of the people of Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Virudhunagar districts.
The discharge of effluents exceeded all levels whenever additional quantity of water was discharged from Papanasam dam or water level in the river increased after rains.
“When the river got polluted seriously, the public, along with the Iyakkam activists, laid siege to the paper mill on May 10, 2013. The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) officials, after inspecting the paper mill, found that it was functioning without proper permission and subsequently ordered its closure.
However, the paper mill was not closed as per the TNPCB’s order, and it discharged several lakhs of litres of effluents into the Tamirabharani on last Tuesday (March 13) following unexpected summer rains. Since the river was seriously polluted, thousands of fishes died and the people could not consume the water for a few days,” said Mr. Sampath.
Hence, the district administration should order the closure of the paper mill, which was situated just 50 metres away from the river at Pappakudi, and initiate action against TNPCB, Public Works Department and Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation officials with whose connivance the paper mill was still functioning, the petitioners said.
